A Peek Into The Future
by magic cheese
Summary: Marauder Era. During the summer before fifth year, Lily finds the Harry Potter series in her attic. She and the Marauders, sans Peter, read the story and discover important things.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, the story or the characters. These things belong to the Queen, Joanne Kathleen Rowling.**

**Summary: **Lily Evans finds copies of the Harry Potter series over the summer before her fifth year. She goes over to James Potter's house and reads _Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone_ with the Marauders, sans Peter Pettigrew. She discovers a bit about what _might _be her future.

**Chapter One**

Lily Marie Evans was not your average girl. She had almost waist-length wavy dark red hair, classically beautiful dark emerald green eyes that sparkled, especially when she laughed, smooth, porcelain white skin free of blemish or acne, and, of course, she was a witch. This fifteen year old was about to start her fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in a few weeks. Unlike most students, she didn't love summer holidays. She deeply yearned to be with her friends again at Hogwarts, laughing, doing magic, and hanging out by the lake.

Now, though, she was bored. She didn't have any friends in her neighborhood, partly because she was at boarding school around the year, and partly because they all thought she was a freak, thanks to her older sister Petunia. Lily never really got along with her uptight, rule-abiding sister, at things got worse when Lily received her Hogwarts letter, five summers ago.

Lately, Lily had taken to scavenging around in her attic, looking for interesting things. She'd found pictures of her and Petunia when they were smaller, pictures from her parents wedding, and love letters from her father to her mother.

Today, she decided she would venture up there again. She headed out of her room, and up towards the attic.

"What are doing up there, freak?" asked Petunia briskly, coming out of the steamy bathroom with a towel wrapped around her blond hair, and a fluffy white bathrobe on.

Lily rolled her eyes and bit her tongue, inwardly reminding herself that in three weeks' time she'd be returning to Hogwarts. She opened the attic trapdoor and stepped inside the small, circular, dusty room filled with boxes. As she was walking towards the boxes near the window, she tripped.

"Ow!" she yelped, crawling up to look at her knee. There was blood on it.

"Great." she murmured sarcastically. Lily turned around to see what had caused her to trip. It was a small, plain brown box that she hadn't noticed before. There was some kind of foreign scribbling on the side of the box that she didn't understand. She got up and walked over to the box to examine it. She opened the folds and saw a pile of books. She picked up the one on the top. It was hardback and had an artistic cover. There was a skinny, black haired boy wearing a yellow shirt with a red strip on each sleeve. He had glasses and a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. He was riding a broomstick. On the top it said _Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone_, and on the bottom it was written in gold _J.K. Rowling_. In the background there was a white unicorn and a castle and three ferocious looking dogs. Lily flipped the book over. On the back there was a brown owl and a man in a purple cloak with a long white beard and half-moon shaped glasses. It was Professor Dumbledore! And this must be Hogwarts. It just had to be. Maybe a wizard author had written a novel about Hogwarts. But what was it doing in Lily's attic?

_Harry Potter_…upon hearing that name, Lily automatically thought about one of her school friends, James Potter. She decided to write to James about it. She tucked the book under her arm, and sprinted out of the attic to her room. Lily grabbed a piece of parchment and a pen.

_-James_

_James, I was looking at some boxes in my attic when I found a book called _Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone_. Is there anyone in your family called Harry? Or J.K. Rowling? That's the author's name. Please write back to me as soon as you can. I have a strange feeling about this._

_-Lily Evans_

"Here, Cookie." Lily called to her barn owl. She tied the letter up to Cookie and gave Cookie directions. Cookie blinked and set off out of Lily's window.

Lily decided to just read the inside covers of the book. She slowly opened it up.

_HARRY POTTER has never been the star of a Quidditch team, scoring points while riding a broom far above the ground. He knows no spells, has never helped to hatch a dragon, and has never worn a cloak of invisibility. All he knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley—a great big swollen spoiled bully. Harry's room is a tiny closet at the foot of the stairs and he hasn't had a birthday party in eleven years. But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to an incredible place that Harry—and anyone who reads about him—will find unforgettable. For it's there that he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic in everything from classes to meals, but a great destiny that's been waiting for him…if Harry can survive the encounter._

Lily was definitely intrigued. She couldn't wait to find out more about this interesting Harry Potter, but she decided to wait until she received a reply from James.

A few hours later, at dusk, Lily finally received James's reply. She quickly opened the letter.

_My Dearest Lily Flower,_

Lily rolled her eyes at James's nickname for her.

_I was very pleased to receive a letter from you. I feel that you have been ignoring me this whole summer! You haven't returned any of the letters I sent you. I am appalled at how rude you've become over the summer. What would Miss Manners say?_

_I asked Mum if we were related to those people you mentioned, and she said no. She also said that if you would like to come over for the rest of the summer, you are welcome. So send me an owl soon. If you can, then I will be here tomorrow afternoon to pick you up by Floo. Moony and Padfoot are coming as well. We tried to get Wormtail, but he's vacationing with his folks in Majorca. _

_Love from,_

_James the Handsome_

Lily grinned as she put the letter down. She had been waiting all summer for James to ask her over, but she had been to shy herself to mention it. She ran to her kitchen and grabbed the telephone receiver, dialing her mother's office. It rung three times until her mother's secretary picked up.

"Mrs. Evans office, Claudia speaking. How may I assist you?" droned Claudia in a nasal voice.

"Claudia? This is Lily Evans, can I speak to my mum?" she asked timidly.

"Sure, let me dial the extension. Please hold." said Claudia, in an annoyed voice. Lily could tell Claudia was rolling her eyes. Lily rolled her eyes back at Claudia.

"Hello?" said a soft, warm female voice.

"Mum! It's Lily. I just got a letter from James, and I was wondering if I could go over his house for the rest of the summer. His mum invited me." she said quickly.

"And Mrs. Potter will be there the whole time, right?" asked Mrs. Evans.

"Mum, of course! I wouldn't stay in a house with a boy by myself for three weeks."

"Well, don't be so sure, darling. I was fifteen once too, you know."

"Mum, please! We've already had this conversation. And I don't fancy James!"

"Alright, then. You can go."

"Thanks. He'll be here to pick me up tomorrow morning."

"You have fun, dear."

"Bye, Mum."

"Bye, love."

Lily slammed the receiver down.

_-James,_

_Mum said yes. Please be here at 9:00 tomorrow morning. Thank you!_

_-Lily Evans_

Lily sealed the letter and tied it up to Cookie, who hooted loudly.

"I know, Cookie, but this letter has to get to James tonight. I promise I'll let you out tonight." Lily persuaded.

Cookie hooted again and flew out the open kitchen door.

The next morning, Lily woke up at 8:00. She wanted to be fully prepared when James arrived, not in pink pajamas with monkeys on them, like two summers ago when James came to pick her up. That was truly embarrassing.

She barged out of her room and into the kitchen, where her mother and father were, enjoying a quiet breakfast together. She wanted to eat a good breakfast so that Mrs. Potter didn't feel obliged to make her something, in case the Potters already ate.

"Hi, Mum and Daddy." she said, hugging her mother and biting a piece of her buttered toast, then leaning over to peck her father's cheek.

"Good morning, darling. How come you're up so soon?"

"I'm going over to the Potters this morning. I thought you'd taken notice that your daughter would be leaving for the rest of the summer." Lily squealed in a slightly offended tone.

"Of course we didn't forget! And we're going to miss you very much." said Mr.Evans, putting down the paper and smiling at his youngest daughter.

Lily grinned back and got out of her chair. She got milk out of the refrigerator and poured some into a glass. Then she grabbed two pieces of bread and put them into the toaster.

"Oh, darling, don't forget to thank Mrs. Potter on our behalf." reminded Mrs. Evans.

"Of course, Mum."

After her bread was toasted, Lily spread strawberry jam on it and ate it. She looked at the clock. It was 8:26.

"Bloody hell! I've only got half an hour to pack!" screamed Lily as she dropped her toast to the floor and rushed upstairs.

"Language, young lady!" shouted Mr. Evans, half-scolding, half-amused.

"I learned these words from you!" Lily shouted back.

"Shut up! I'm trying to sleep!" Petunia groaned loudly from her bed.

Lily quickly grabbed all of her clothes from her closet and chest drawer and stuffed them into her suitcase, along with her wooden hairbrush, glittering pink toothbrush, lotion, perfume, shampoo and conditioner, and her small amount of make-up.

She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her hair was messy. She tied it up in a sloppy bun and rinsed her face. She wanted to look good for Ja—Mrs. Potter!

She looked at her alarm clock. It read 8:53. She swore inwardly.

"Lily, your friend is here!" called Mrs. Evans from downstairs.

Lily dragged her suitcase, grabbed Cookie's cage, and stuffed her wand in her pocket. She slowly walked downstairs, hoping not to trip and embarrass herself in front of James, who would never let her forget it.

"Aah" she sighed, relieved, when she finally reached the bottom of the staircase. She peered into the living room and saw her mother and father talking to a young man with messy, jet-black hair, bright hazel eyes behind thin, black-rimmed specs.

"Hi, Lily!" exclaimed James happily. She grinned at him and gave him a friendly hug. Behind her, Mrs. Evans gave her a knowing smile. Lily rolled her eyes at her mother.

"Let me help you get your stuff." offered James. It was so nice to have male best friends to do stuff for you.

Lily walked over to the bottom of the staircase with James and grabbed Cookie's cage. Cookie hooted. Then she grabbed the book and clutched it tightly to her chest.

"Is that it?" asked James in a low voice, gesturing to the book. Lily nodded affirmative. They walked over near the fireplace, which was covered in soot.

"Humpf!" said Petunia, upon seeing the dirty fireplace. She glanced at James with a look of disgust upon her face. Mr. Evans gave her a look that quite clearly said 'Be polite, or else.'

"Well, I suppose we should get going, then." said James, breaking the silence. Lily hugged her parents and Petunia, and James shook hands with Mr. Evans and allowed himself to be pulled into a hug by Mrs. Evans. James approached Petunia and offered her his hand, but she looked away, leaving James in an embarrassing and awkward situation.

"C'mon, James. Let's go." Lily said. James handed her a pinch of Floo powder. Lily stepped into her fireplace.

"The Toybox!" she cried, as she swirled round and round.

**A/N Okay, I'd just want to let you know that tomorrow I am returning to the facility of unnatural torture, or you might call it 'school'. So please be aware that I might not have enough time to update every day. But I promise that I will try my hardest to update at least once a week. So don't think that I've abandoned this story. **

**On a lighter note, I'd just like to say that it would be greatly appreciated if you reviewed! I'd just love to hear what you think of this story, so if you wouldn't mind taking two minutes out of whatever you're doing and write a few words, then please do. Thank you! **

**-Jules 3**


	2. Chapter 2

**phoenixtear19- Thanks so much! Your review was wonderful and it made me feel a lot better about this story. I'm glad that you enjoy reading it. **

**Chapter Two**

Lily arrived in the kitchen at the Toybox, or rather, James' mansion. She'd been here before, but she was always awestruck at how big the place was. It was four stories high. On the ground floor there were the basic rooms such as the living room, the dining room, the kitchen, two bathrooms, and a guest room. Below the ground floor was the basement, including Mr. Potter's wine cellar, and a garage. On the first story high there were 3 bathrooms, a huge hall, a library, all the bedrooms, two guest rooms, and a study. And on the highest level there was the attic. Not the small, dusty, circular attic the Evans had, but a wide one, which was cleaned out every Sunday by the hired staff.

The whole house was surrounded by an enchanted forest, inhabiting faeries, pixies, nymphs, and woodland creatures. There was a rose garden just outside the West Wing, where Mrs. Potter personally grew her special roses. There was also a jungle gym and a swing set, built for James when he was a child. These were the advantages James had for being the only child of the Minister of Magic.

"Lily, dear!" called Mrs. Potter.

Lily looked up at Mrs. Potter. She and Mr. Potter was an elderly couple, they had James late in their life, and hence why he was a spoiled little prince when he was a child.

"Mrs. Potter! Hello!" exclaimed Lily as she lifted herself up. Mrs. Potter was a gracious woman with a warm manner, and she and Lily were quite fond of each other.

"How are you?" asked Mrs. Potter, grabbing Lily into a hug. Mrs. Potter let go of Lily and held her shoulders at arms length.

"My, you get lovelier each summer I see you. I'm sure James has noticed."

"Mrs. Potter, James and I don't fancy each other." Lily stated politely.

"Nonsense! Why shouldn't James fancy a smart, pretty girl like you? And call me Anne."

Lily blushed at the thought of her and James. It was silly. James was her best friend, practically like a brother to her.

"Why don't you head upstairs? Remus and Sirius are in James's room. I'm sure you must have a lot of catching up to do." Mrs. Potter suggested. Lily nodded and slowly wandered out the kitchen door. She found the spiraling stairs that led her to the upper floor. She walked down the long hall. It was so long that she could hardly see the other end of it, and she had 20/20 vision. Along the walls were portraits of James's ancestors that dated back to the fifteenth century. The Toybox had been in the Potter's possession since 1367. Lily knew this because she had wandered to the Potter library and read about Potter history. She found it quite fascinating, although James found it tedious and was always trying to look for a way to destroy his family's centuries old possessions.

She finally found the room she was looking for. She opened the door swiftly.

"Bloody. Hell." she heard.

"Oh, my wand!"

"Is it….?"

"It can't be!"

"Lily Evans, in the flesh!"

Lily stepped in and rolled her eyes. Remus and Sirius were sitting on the floor with piles of Chocolate Frog wrappers.

"Hey guys." greeted Lily.

"Hi, Lily."

"Mmmph." moaned Sirius, his mouth full of chocolate.

"Pig." stated Lily.

"Swot!" retorted Sirius, as Remus just looked amused at their little insult parade.

"Sirius! How could you? I'm the guest, you have to be nice to me." said Lily, feigning offense.

"I'm a guest, too." Sirius defended himself.

"No, you're not. You and Remus are here _every_ summer, whereas this is only my third summer here." said Lily in a wonderfully innocent tone.

"Mate, I reckon we've had a bad influence on her." said Remus, nodding at Sirius.

James then entered the room, excitedly. He gestured to the book.

"Reckon we should tell them?" James asked Lily.

"Why not?"

"Tell us about what?" asked Remus.

"What's that?" asked Sirius, pointing the book.

"It's a book I found in my attic yesterday. It's called _Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone_. It seems very interesting."

Sirius and Remus stared at her disbelievingly.

"What? It is interesting, I'm sure."

"Lily, we're afraid we can't trust your judgment on this." said Sirius.

"Why not? You're acting like I'm boring."

"Lily, you enjoy reading _Hogwarts, A History_." Remus answered sadly, shaking his head.

"And books about James' family history."

"And the dictionary!"

"Only on Tuesdays!" Lily retorted to Remus quickly.

They stared at her, confused. She took a deep breath and sat on the bed.

"Look, just give it a chance, okay? You may end up liking it. Anyways, I read the inside summary, and it includes Quidditch." she sighed, rolling her eyes. She was forced to use her last resort…wizarding sports.

Their ears perked up.

"Really?" asked James.

"Yes, really!" replied Lily, a bit frustrated.

"That's great, but we'll get into it some other day. Right now, we're gonna play Quidditch, then bother the maids, then try to terrorize some of the forest creatures with our very gifted singing voices!" said Remus in an amused tone.

"No!" exclaimed Lily in shock. "You can't bother the maids _or_ terrorize the forest creatures! That's terrible."

James rolled his eyes. "Lily, my father pays the staff extra to put up with me and them," he informed her, gesturing to Remus and Sirius. "Technically, it would be wasting money if we didn't give them what they paid for. And that wouldn't be right, would it? And as for the forest inhabitants, nobody's making them stay here."

Lily glared at him.

"Oh, c'mon, lighten up," persuaded Sirius.

Lily broke into a grin.

"Alright, I'll bother the staff with you, but I'm not participating in ruining the lives of poor little animals and pixies." said Lily.

**A/N I know the chapter is short, but the semester is ending in 3 weeks, and we have to prepare for midterms, and we have soooo much homework. I hope you enjoy it…oh, and please review. If you do, I'll be a happy clam. Except I won't be a clam. So I'll just be a happy…..**

**-Jules**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Okay, I am really depressed and sad right now because my dog just died last night. She was really old, but it's still sad, you know? My parents had her since before I was born, so that makes it even sadder. So what I'm trying to say is that it might take a while for me to post the next chapter. I really hope this doesn't bother you! **

**That lil' ol' Blue Girl- **Thanks for the review! I'm glad you find it interesting, and not unoriginal or boring. Also, thanks for adding my ficcy to your Favorite Stories List.

**phoenixtear19- **Thank you! When I got the idea for writing this, I decided that Lily and James would probably have to be close, in order to read it together. And I also wanted there to be a plot. I didn't want every chapter to be just them, sitting around, reading it. It's more fun when there is something else going on, and it would be too boring with just them reading it.

**Chapter Three**

The next day was a rainy day, to Lily's luck. They had all woken up around 10:00 went down to the kitchen, and each ate a different thing. Lily had decided on toast with strawberry jam, Remus picked homemade waffles with fresh peach syrup, and Sirius and James decided to be difficult and demanded pancakes with fresh strawberries!

After breakfast, they had all wandered around, doing their own things. Remus and Lily walked together to the library, Sirius ate more candy, and James put on a raincoat and went to visit his horse, Patriot.

They reunited together over a lunch of watercress sandwiches and hot tea.

"So, what do want to do next?" Remus asked, breaking the silence.

Lily darted her green eyes towards each of them. They all had blank expressions. She cleared her throat loudly, and they looked up towards her.

"Erm...what about the book?" Lily asked casually, as though it were of no importance to her. She gave a quick glance at them.

"Well, I suppose we could," said James.

"Yeah, there's nothing else to do." Sirius agreed.

Remus nodded his head.

Lily beamed. They would finally get to read it! She had a feeling this book was more than just a novel...

"Whoa, slow down, Lils!" exclaimed Sirius, watching Lily gobble down her sandwich. Lily blushed slightly, but continued to wolf down her lunch.

The rest of them sped up to catch up with Lily. After the finished, they headed out of the kitchen door, when the cook interrupted them.

"Children!" she cried in a heavy German accent. "Vould you like some cherry tarts?"

"No, thank you, Elga." refused Lily, running down the hall.

"Hey! I wanted some cherry tarts..." Sirius huffed behind her, clearly annoyed. Lily ignored him and pushed the door to James' room open. There was the book, lying on James' desk. Lily walked over to it and picked it up. The boys came in.

"Okay, I get to read aloud the first chapter. Every chapter, we will switch readers. Understood?" Lily informed them in a bossy tone. She had obviously spent a great deal of time thinking about it.

"I don't care for your tone of voice. Maybe I won't participate." said Sirius, in a lofty, joking tone.

Lily narrowed her eyes at him dangerously.

"Just kidding!" he replied meekly.

Lily opened the book to the first chapter, and commenced with the reading process.

_Chapter One: The Boy Who Lived_

"That sounds promising," James drawled sarcastically, pointing to the picture of a sleeping baby boy wrapped in a blanket with an unusual lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead, under a sea of stars. Lily nudged his ribs.

_**M**r. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd except to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense._

"Continue!" shouted the three boys at Lily, as she paused, twirling her hair, something she always did when she was thinking hard.

"Hold on," she panted, as though she had been holding her breath.

"What is it?" asked Sirius curiously.

"My...my sister, Pet...Petunia. Her boyfriend's last name is Dursley. And they hate anything abnormal...like me."

_Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors._

After reading this paragraph, Lily held her tongue. Right that moment, Lily Evans knew that this book she was holding in her two hands was not a normal book. She knew then and there that finding this book was not a coincidence. It was fate. Somehow, someway, someone had wanted her to find it. She held the book a little tighter, and spoke louder and clearer.

_The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion, there was no finer boy anywhere._

_The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters._

The silence in the room was so loud that Lily felt obligated to stop reading. She knew everyone was thinking the same thing as her. Lily realized that her palms were shaky and sweaty.

"Sh...Shall I continue?" Lily asked gently, tentatively.

The others nodded agreeably.

_Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be. The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that._

Dudley...the name echoed around in Lily's fiercely rushing mind. Petunia had mentioned to Lily once that she quite liked the name Dudley.

_When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair._

_None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window._

_At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls. "Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got into his car, and backed out of number four's drive._

_It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar—a cat reading a map. For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen—then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive—no, _looking _at the sign; cats couldn't read maps _or _signs. Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he though of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day._

"Hey...does that cat remind anyone else of Professor McGee?" Sirius asked, using Professor McGonagall's nickname. Remus slapped Sirius in the head.

"Ouch! What was that for?" he asked incredously.

"For asking stupid questions."

"Well, hitting me in the head did no good, did it? Now I've lost _more _brain cells, and you'll still have to put up with me." stated Sirius smugly, earning him another hit on the head, this time by Lily.

"This is weird." said James.

"I know...but I have a feeling about these books." replied Lily, her voice full of thought.

"_These_ books? As in plural?" asked Sirius.

"Oh! I didn't mention it? There are six other books in box I found, presumably all _Harry Potter_."

"Lily!" James hissed angrily.

"What?"

"Why didn't you bring all of them here?"

"Well, I don't want to sound conceited, James, but if I don't think I can finish this book this summer, I highly doubt you will."

"Not _that_!"

"Then what?"

"Lily," started Remus. "I think James meant that maybe someone in your family might have found the books and gotten rid of them."

"_Shit!_" cried Lily.

James sighed, frustrated. He ran a hand through his already messy jet-black hair.

"I'll send a letter to Mum and Daddy tonight when they later, when they've returned home." Lily said, trying to calm them down. "Let's just continue reading."

_But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks. Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes—the getups you saw on young people!_

Lily snorted.

_He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and he was wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt—these people were obviously collecting for something...yes, that would be it. The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot._

_Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window of his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. _He _didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime._

"Who has honestly never seen an owl in their life?" asked Sirius, quite dumbly.

Lily rolled her emerald eyes.

"You know, Sirius, owls are wizarding pets. Muggles don't use owls as a mailing system. In fact, it states in _Hogwarts, A History _that the wizarding world has tried many unsuccessful times to prevent Muggles seeing owls at all, in case they were carrying a letter or a parcel. Not the Muggle carrying it, the ow—"

"Okay, I get it, Lils. You don't need to give me a whole speech!" interrupted Sirius.

"Well, you asked."

"Well, you answered."

Lily narrowed her eyes in utter confusion. "Yeah, Sirius, that's what you do when stupid bloke's like you ask questions."

"I'm not the stupid one!" Sirius argued heatedly.

"Sure..." said Lily sarcastically.

"What about 'Only on Tuesdays'? What the hell was that? Not even I could understand that, and I'm the stupid one!" Sirius yelled.

"Exactly."

"Huh? Wait...I meant—"

"Too late, mate. You've proved yourself."

"But—"

_Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important phone calls and shouted a bit more. He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery._

"Well, he needs the exercise." said Remus.

_He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past_ _them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag—_

"Hey, I thought he was going to get a bun, not a doughnut!" exclaimed Sirius loudly, as though he was offended by Mr. Dursley's choice of baked goods.

Lily rolled her eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. It was hard for her to read without getting irritated, when this lot was interrupting her every five sentences.

_--, that he caught a few words of what they were saying._

"_The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard—"_

"—_yes, their son, Harry—"_

_Mr. Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it. He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking...no, he was being stupid. Potter wasn't an unusual name._

"Humph!" said James indignantly.

_He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew _was_ called Harry. He'd never seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold. There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her—if _ he'd _had a sister like that...but all the same, those people in cloaks..._

There was a knock on the door that startled everybody.

"Children. It is time to come downstairs." informed the butler.

**A/N I thought I would leave a sort of cliffhanger. For tension, you know. Gosh, I am so sad. Maybe if you left me some reviews, it might lighten my mood, just a little.**

**-Jules**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N I'd just like to say thank you to everyone who reviewed my story. It really did help, sort of. I'm glad that this story is getting at least a couple of hits. That's good enough for me. And I am so happy that you actually think this story is interesting. 'Cause when I had the idea to make one of these, I thought people might have gotten tired of them. Which makes me think that if I had a feeling it wouldn't be well-liked, why would I post it? I guess I was bored, or something.**

**Mandalen- **Yay! I'm glad you think it's a good job. I know, I love these too. It's always fun to see how Lily and James will react. Some authors make them happy, some authors make them sad. I promise that I will try my hardest not to abandon this story. Hey, you want to know something interesting? Or, at least, I think it's interesting. Well, I added your screen name to my dictionary on Microsoft Word! Because I hate those squiggly red or green lines.

**EvenstaroftheEast- **Dude (or dudette), I think your screen name is cool. _Lord of the Rings_ is awesome. I read the first and the second one. And I watched the movies. The second movie made me cry. Thanks for the sensitivity towards my deceased dog. This is the first day of my life living without her. It's sad. I can't believe she died on Friday the thirteenth! I keep crying at random times. I'm gonna miss her...I'm happy you think it's a good story. Thanks for your sweet review.

**WhiteCamellia- **Thanks! I totally love your eagerness and your exclamation points! I love exclamation points. They're so...exclamatory. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter Four**

They all went downstairs to the living room, where they found Mr. Potter, the Minister of Magic. He was sitting on the sofa with a couple of other important looking men in expensive cloaks.

"Ah, the children are here," Mr. Potter stated to his guests. Mr. Potter was a tall, fat man with a ruddy face, a shiny forehead a head full of shiny dark gray hair, and a constant good humor. Mr. Potter and his guest rose up.

"Children, this is Mr. Mitchell," he informed, indicating to a young, lanky man with already graying hair and thick-rimmed black glasses. "He is the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

Mr. Mitchell shook hands with Lily and the boys, leering at them. Lily could smell onion on his breath, but she kept a straight face and firmly planted the smile on her face.

"And this," continued Mr. Potter, gesturing to a short, squat man wearing a very serious expression. "This is Mr. Herrera. He is the Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."

"Call me Kirby." offered Mr. Herrera in a deep tone. Upon hearing Mr. Herrera's first name, Lily had difficulty keeping her straight face.

"This is my son, James." said Mr. Potter.

"Ah, yes. I recognize him. We had a few...disagreements, upon our last meeting." replied Mr. Herrera, giving James a stern, knowing look. James blushed and averted his eyes.

"Uh, yes. And these are his schoolmates, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and Lily Evans."

"Black, eh? I've had the pleas...I've met your parents briefly." told Mr. Mitchell with a weak smile.

Sirius nodded understandingly, then placed his hands in his pockets and bowed his head. Even though they were wealthy and well-respected members of the pureblood society, Sirius had always been ashamed of them. He hated when anyone mentioned them, and he hardly went to public places with them when he was younger.

"Evans." Mr. Herrera repeated aloud. "Are you related to Mr. Rogan Evans?"

"Erm...no, sir. My parent's names are Jacqueline and Ian, sir, I think. Unless they have double lives, sir, and they have another family, and they've been lying to me this whole time!" Lily answered hotly. She quickly became conscious of the fact that everyone in the room was now staring at her. "Erm...no, sir. I'm Muggleborn." she finished awkwardly.

Mr. Herrera looked at her as if she were crazy. Lily blushed, and mimicked James, averting her eyes. She and James stole a glance and grinned nervously.

Mrs. Potter arrived in the living room, announcing that the dinner was almost ready, and that they should take their seats at the table in the dining room.

They all filed out of the living room and walked down the corridor. Lily could hear samples of all the conversation through the echoing walls.

"...you've been working so hard, lately, dear..."

"...and so I told him that if the rate didn't increase by at least 2..."

"...so when he was in the right position, I threw the water balloon on him..."

Lily just walked silently with James, thinking about the day's events...more importantly, the book. She knew that James was thinking about the same thing as her. She could just feel it. That was one thing she loved about James; she felt more _connected _to him than with Remus or Sirius. She knew when he was angry or happy. He didn't need to verbally tell her, or even use body language. Lily could just feel it radiating off of him. It was totally weird, but kind of neat.

When they arrived to the grand, lavished dining room, Lily took sat two seats away from one head of the table. Mr. Potter and Mrs. Potter always sat at each end of the table. Lily would look up from her plate sometimes and find them sharing a secret smile. Lily thought it was pretty.

Sirius took a seat next to Lily, and James sat on her other side. Across from James sat Remus, and across from Lily was Mr. Mitchell. She frowned slightly. Lily wasn't quite sure whether she liked him or not. There was just something about him that unsettled her.

"Lily!" she heard Sirius cry. "Pass the mashed potatoes!"

"Oh!" she stammered, grabbing the bowl. She reached over her head, but her elbow knocked into the gravy boat. It spilled onto her nice white pants, scalding her skin, sending her knee flying straight up, hitting the table and shaking it. The sugar shaker fell over. Once again, everyone was staring at her. Mrs. Potter wearily rubbed her forehead. She had been used to Lily's accidents.

"Sorry!" she blurted out. "I'll clean it up!"

She hurriedly picked the empty gravy boat off the floor, grabbed her napkin and started wiping the gravy off the floor.

"I am _so _sorry!" she said, her emerald eyes sparkling with tears. "Please don't make me go back home!"

"Lily, of course we're not going to send you home!" exclaimed Mrs. Potter. But it was too late, because Lily had already ran out of the room.

"Lils?" asked a voice gently from outside Lily's bedroom door. Remus slowly opened the door. Lily was lying on her bed, sniffling, her face buried under the pillows.

"Are you okay?"

Lily sat up straight, rubbing her face. Her eyes were red and puffy, contrasting oddly with her green eyes.

"Yes," she sobbed.

"Erm...James and Sirius went to bed, and I was wondering what is wrong with you."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. Lately, you've been...weird."

Lily rolled her eyes in some pathetic attempt to prove she didn't know what he was on about.

"I'm bloody fine." she stated.

"Sure. Can I ask you a personal question?"

Lily blinked.

"Are you pregnant?"

"_What_!"

"Well, it's just that the last time my mum was pregnant, she was behaving like you."

Lily threw her pillow at his head.

"Of course I'm not pregnant, you daft git! I'm only fifteen. And besides, who would I get pregnant by?"

"Ja—I don't know!"

Lily eyed Remus suspiciously.

"Who is 'Ja'?"

"Erm...uh...Jacob Rollins."

"He's a _second year_, you perv! GET OUT!"

**A/N Well, I hoped you liked it. It was a really random chapter that is totally irrelevant to the plot, but I am listening to Kylie Minogue, so don't say I didn't warn you. Please review, because if you do then...something good will win happen to you. Yeah. So do it...not _that_! I mean, review. Because it makes me happy. And when I'm happy, I get motivated to write more. And don't even roll your eyes and say that you don't care if I don't ever updated, because if you didn't, then you wouldn't have made it to chapter four! Oh yeah, and if you review, I will write you a little note in the next chapter, if you like that sort of thing like me.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Oh my gosh! I was so happy to see my inbox full with reviews today! You like me! You really like me! Okay, do you guys want to know the weird dream I had last night? You do? Okay! So, last night I dreamt that I met Mandy Moore, and she was totally cool and I really liked her platonically, and then I found out that she was _related_ to me! And I was all "Gee, that's amazing!". And also, in my weird dream, my neighbor tried to poison me _and _a random homeless person that I found out was also related to me, tried to give me HIV. Does that mean something?**

**SuperGirl10026- **I made you laugh? How awesome! Everyone is saying this is a wonderful or great story, so I'm starting to believe it. Thanks for reviewing!

**EvenstaroftheEast- **Yeah, usually random chapters are funny! They make me giggle. Oh my gosh, LotR is so amazing. I didn't see it in theatres because at the time I thought it was boring, but then I got it for my 12th birthday (the book) and I was totally into it. So I saw the movies, and the movies are great because everything is so real looking. That's so cool that you saw it ten times in the theatres. I saw GoF three times. But it's best if I don't go so many times to see a movie, because somehow I always get kicked out. I got kicked out when I saw the second Star Wars...okay, now I'm rambling. Thanks for the review!

**HarryPassionFan- **Thank you! I know, the stories where the Marauders and Lily read HP books are _always_ interesting. I'm glad you think it's wonderful!

**Imconfused12345- **Thanks! I will try to make the chapter longer. I'm ecstatic to hear that you love it!

**Marguerida- **Your screen name sounds like my favorite alcoholic drink! Just kidding. I don't drink alcohol...I swear! DON'T TAKE ME TO REHAB AGAIN! Lol...just some random alcoholic humor. Thanks for the offer! I will keep that in mind in case I ever need help with German! I know, most of these stories just stop, it is sad. Gosh, that is annoying. I've read a few really bad ones like that. They make me mad sometimes. Enjoy the chapter!

**heartbreakerginny- **I'm glad you like it! Here's an update for you!

**Chapter Five**

"Hey, do you want to read more?" asked Sirius the next day, at breakfast.

"Do you really like it?" asked Lily.

"What? Is it a big surprise?" he questioned.

Lily opened her eyes wide and nodded vigorously.

"Careful, Lily. Don't knock over the milk." Remus joked.

Lily rolled her eyes and threw a piece of her blueberry muffin at him.

"Why do you keep throwing things at me?" he asked in annoyance.

"So, do you reckon we should read more of it?" Lily asked.

"Yeah," responded James.

Together they walked upstairs to James's room, only to find the maids cleaning it.

"Have you seen a book right there?" James asked, pointing to his desk. The maid shook her head and continued working.

"Where could it be?" asked Sirius, worryingly.

"Oh! I remember. I put it under your bed, James. In case anyone found it." Lily squealed. They all looked relieved.

"You're a lifesaver, Lils," said James, grinning at her. Lily could feel herself blush, though she didn't know why.

Lily bent down and grabbed the book.

"Shall we go to the library instead?" she suggested.

"I reckon so." said Remus. They walked to the library together, chatting about the book. When they arrived at the massive library, they each took a seat at the couch near the fireplace. Lily opened the book to the page where they had left of.

_He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door._

"Hey, that happened to me once, too! Except with a pole." said Sirius.

"_Sorry," he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating this happy, happy day!" _

_And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle, and walked off._

_Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was._

"Silly fool! A Muggle is a non magical bugger like yourself!" said James.

_He was rattled._

"Ooh, I like that word! Rattled, rattled, rattled! It gives me goosebumps." stated Sirius.

"We're never going to get through the first bloody chapter if you keep interrupting us." exclaimed Lily. "Now sit your arse down and shut your mouth."

_He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination._

"Blimey, he and my parents should meet up." said Sirius.

"Y'know what, Sirius, my mate? You're going to read."

Sirius shrugged and began reading. In less than an hour, everyone besides the reader had fallen asleep. This was due to Sirius' atrocious reading. He couldn't properly pronounce any word that had over two syllables.

**A/N I know it's short. Don't flame me. PLEASE! It's short because I have a lot of homework to do. So...yeah. Also, I am going to be starting a new fic. It's Lily's diary while she's pregnant with Harry. Funny. Yeah, so I'd appreciate it tremendously if you reviewed it when I post it. To find it, all you have to do is click on my screen name and see my profile. Don't forget to review this one, though!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Ok...I am _so_ sorry that I haven't updated in, like, forever! I had finals, which are so stupid, and homework, and it was just too much for me to handle! But now I am back on track, it's a new semester, I failed Health and Algebra, and I am going to keep on writing at a regular pace! Once again, I am terribly sorry, I truly am! Enjoy the chapter, my lovelies!**

**WhiteCamellia- **Thank you so much! I will try to update as soon as I can, because I have other stuff going on in the meantime. But I still have time for this!

**HarryPassionFan- **Thanks! I sorta, kinda cheated. I didn't put that in because I don't want them to know yet. Here's the next chapter, so enjoy!

**EvenstaroftheEast- **I know it's short, I just wanted to give you guys a little treat. I know, Star Wars is awesome! I'm into it as much as Harry Potter, but it's still awesome! I know, Hayden Christensen is so cute, but he isn't the world's best actor. Fantasy totally rocks my socks!

**Marguerida- **Lol, no I meant that your screen name reminded me of it. Sort of similar spelling. I've never heard of that book, is it any good? I so agree with you that short chapters are better than nothing, because sometimes you wonder if the author has given up on the story. I would rather do one chapter at a time because I have a lot of things going on in my life right now, and also I just love reviews!

**2inkle 2inkle- **YOU ARE AMAZING! I just adored your reviews! I love getting long reviews. And you appreciate my brilliance! Another plus! I totally agree, Remus seems like the sensitive one of the group, and I think its so cliché to have Lily only be friends with James. Keep reviewing, babe, and the chapters will keep on coming!

**Chapter Six**

The next day, the four teenagers could be found under a shady oak tree in the yard. They had progressed onto the next chapter.

"Remus, it's your chapter to read," told Lily that afternoon, sipping lemonade.

"Why me?"

"Because...I don't know. But you're the next best reader." she said, shrugging her shoulders.

Remus grabbed the book off the floor and flipped to page 18. They all crowded around to see the chapter picture; a fat freckly boy with a lot of presents around him.

_**N**early ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls._

"What's a news report?" asked James.

"It's on the telly."

"The telly? You mean the telephone?" he frowned puzzled.

"No, it's short for the television." explained Lily, biting a cookie. "It's basically a box with moving pictures. The news report is like the Daily Prophet, only there are people reading it to you."

"Hey, how come you never get mad at James when he interrupts, but when I do, I get called a daft git?" whined Sirius.

"Because you _are_ a daft git," piped Remus. They continued jokingly insulting each other for a while longer, completely forgetting about the book beside them.

"Hel-_lo_, Jamesie-poo!" called a voice from behind them. Startled, they quickly turned around to see their addresser. Near a shady oak tree stood a girl who looked about their age. She had long, straight light brown hair and a very nice tan. She was wearing pink outfit, a skirt and a polo tee shirt, and sandals, and black sunglasses. She looked like she had just come back from a vacation in Tahiti.

"Claire!" shrieked James, leaping up and sending bits of cookie flying into Lily's hair and face.

Lily inwardly groaned. Claire Chambers was James's cousin, who he had grown up with. But when she was eight, her parents moved to an island on Hawaii. Lily had met her a few times in the past, and every time they met, Lily hated her more. Lily thought Claire was a materialistic brat who hated her as well.

After Claire and James had finished hugging, Claire advanced towards the rest of them. Sirius and Remus were already up, and Lily noticed that Sirius's eyes were glazed over. Lily rolled her eyes as she got up and allowed her self to be painfully embraced by Claire. Lily thought she heard Claire whisper "bitch" into her ear, and stepped back.

"What was that, Claire, dear?" Lily asked, mocking Claire's habit of always using a sweet nickname when talking to someone.

"Nothing, Lily, darling," Claire said, tipping her sunglasses down. Over the years, Lily and Claire had mastered the art of insulting each other in disguise.

"Oh, Lily, did you get your hair layered?" asked Claire in a sweet voice.

"Er...yes," responded Lily, subconsciously reaching out to touch her auburn strands.

"Oh, pity. Layering your hair isn't 'in' anymore, according to _Teen Beauty Queen _magazine."

"Hmm...pity, yes." replied Lily. "It'll be a pity when they find your dead body on the floor tomorrow morning," she added under her breath, hoping she was heard by no one, but Remus gave her a warning look.

"Shall we go inside?" asked James, darting nervously between Claire and Lily.

"Yes, we shall!" exclaimed Claire happily, grabbing James's arm and walking with him.

Lily and Sirius started walking towards the house, too.

"Oh, fine! Just leave poor ol' me here to clean up your mess." said Remus.

"Sorry, Remus!" exclaimed Lily, whipping her head around.

"Nah, it's okay. I'll take care of it. See you in a bit."

Lily turned back around and caught up with Sirius, who was drooling. Lily wiped some of his saliva on her finger, made a face, and wiped it back on Sirius's hair.

"Not my _hair_!" Sirius roared while Lily threw her hair back laughing.

"Stop drooling, then! You're not a dog." Lily scolded. Sirius looked at her almost sadly and opened his mouth, but then shut it quickly and ran ahead of her.

"Si_ri_us!" she laughed, chasing after him. "Get back here. I'm serious!"

"No, _I'm _Sirius!"

Lily cackled madly and ran up to him, jumping on his back.

"Give me a piggy back ride."

"No."

She yanked his hair tightly.

"Okay, ok_ay_!"

**A/N I am not a Sirius/Lily shipper...Now that I have that out of the way, I can continue. Sorry it's short, but I have to go do the freaking laundry, and I wanted to post something now. I love you and I will love you more if you give me reviews! So do it! **

** 3 Jules**


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